{"id":95228,"date":"2011-07-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-07-18T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2011\/07\/18\/im-ok-theyre-not-trying-to-unravel-what-internet-users-want-when-it-comes-to-governing-the-internet\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:39","slug":"im-ok-theyre-not-trying-to-unravel-what-internet-users-want-when-it-comes-to-governing-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2011\/07\/18\/im-ok-theyre-not-trying-to-unravel-what-internet-users-want-when-it-comes-to-governing-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m OK, They\u2019re Not: Trying to unravel what internet users want when it comes to governing the internet"},"content":{"rendered":"

(This is my written version of the speech, from which I departed at times)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m OK; They\u2019re not: Trying to unravel what internet users want when it comes to governing the internet<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

It is an honor for me to be invited here <\/a>to give this address and I\u2019d like especially to thank Marilyn Cade and my friend and colleague Janna Anderson for believing that the work of the Pew Internet & American Life Project had a place at such an important gathering.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n

Marilyn and Janna were generous in asking me to speak to you in 2009 and I went over that talk again as I prepared for this one. I made a big deal in that presentation about the things we didn’t know about the future of the internet and its impact<\/a>. I was not too terribly wise, though, as I failed to highlight some of the most dramatic changes that were then emerging. For instance, I didn\u2019t use the word \u201ccloud\u201d and I did not mention a small little advance in technology called the smartphone. <\/p>\n\n

Since then, we at Pew Internet have stopped trying to measure cloud use because it is so ubiquitous \u2013 and somewhat hard for ordinary users to detect. And just last week, we released findings<\/a> that 35% of American adults now use smartphones and about a quarter of them say that their smartphone is their primary internet connection device. <\/p>\n\n

As atonement, I\u2019m going to try not to make such glaring mistakes in this speech.<\/p>\n\n

I want to discuss two aspects of the internet user story as we see it in the United States and explore a little about their relationship to internet governance. The first relates to user behavior and the second involves user attitudes. <\/p>\n\n

Sadly for you, my headline is that we don\u2019t get really clear signals about user preferences when it comes to internet governance. They generally appreciate their current experiences and report personal satisfaction with what the internet brings to their lives. At the same time, they watch other internet users and worry a lot about the way their use of the internet affects them.<\/p>\n\n

You could call it the \u201cI\u2019m OK, they\u2019re not\u201d syndrome. <\/p>\n\n

The syndrome is a pretty common phenomenon in people\u2019s evaluations of the world. They like their own Congressman, but they don\u2019t like Congress. They appreciate the school their children attend, but think the education system is a mess. They can\u2019t say enough good things about their own doctor, but think the medical system is dysfunctional. And our findings show they think their own use of the internet is beneficial, but they are worried that others are not doing good things online and not getting good things out of their internet use.<\/p>\n\n

Let\u2019s go through some of the user data. On the behavior side, there is sort of an uneven picture<\/a>. The overall adoption picture is stagnant:<\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The number of internet users in the United States has not budged from the summer of 2008. It bounces back and forth in our polls from 75%-79%, but never outside that band.<\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The number of those with broadband at home has not changed since the summer of 2009. It ranges between 61%-66%. <\/p>\n\n

[At the same time, the number of those who get political information has risen steadily throughout the 11 years of Project research.]<\/p>\n\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The proportion of internet users who say they seek health and medical information has not grown in four years. <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The share of those doing basic e-commerce remained at the same level since 2007. It\u2019s about 70% of internet users. <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The number of those using government websites has not changed in five years. It\u2019s about two-thirds of online Americans.<\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The share of internet users who are bloggers. It\u2019s 14% now and was pretty much at that level in February 2007. <\/p>\n\n

At the same time, other metrics show growth in some online behaviors \u2013 social networking sites, job searches, all kinds of video use (including file-sharing sites), online phone calls and video calls, online banking and bill paying. <\/p>\n\n

Of course, there are other data, principally from the Nielsen Company, that people are spending more and more time online and that this is skewing towards online social activities.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n

On the mobile side, there continues to be steady growth in those accessing the internet by smartphones and laptops. Our most recent survey completed around Memorial Day indicated that 59% of Americans now connect via smartphone or laptop. And the merger of on-the-go mobile connectivity and social networking becomes ever tighter as more and more people use their phones to connect to their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.<\/p>\n\n

And apps continue to rise as a filtering, navigation, and entertainment option in the digital realm. We are just about to go into the field to get new readings on this, and I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019re going to find growth in the overall size of the \u201capps-using\u201d population and more intense use of apps. <\/p>\n\n

Additionally, location services are just beginning to show up in our surveys: <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6% of online Americans use check-in services like FourSquare and Gowalla <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 9% allow location awareness from social media<\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 32% of cell owners get directions, recommendations, or other information related to their location<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s the pattern here? Some activities seem to have a kind of natural saturation point where the internet users who care have found the services and information they want. People are settling into their internet routines.<\/p>\n\n

The places where there is the most energy in the technology world — mobile and social networking — are still the most likely to be growing in usage. <\/p>\n\n

And users generally say they get what they want from the internet activities and experiences they have. They report that they generally <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 find what they want; <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 they enjoy the media they can access (and, frankly, are a little amazed they can watch TV and movies on the fly); <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 they are excited about the social media tools they have to create the content they want \u2013 and the vast majority of them are content creators (about two-thirds of adults and three-quarters of teenagers)<\/p>\n\n

In terms of their own use of the internet, they don\u2019t seem to have concerns about the way things are proceeding. To the degree that any ordinary users think about governance issues (which is probably not very much), they like what they have and they probably wouldn\u2019t want it messed with. <\/p>\n\n

For many, the internet is appealing because of the whole smorgasbord of things that are enabled by it. Users don\u2019t neatly sort into social networkers, who are distinct from video consumers, who are distinct from health seekers, who, in turn, are different from political users. The appeal of the internet to most users comes from the panoply of possibilities it brings to their lives. <\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s the \u201cI\u2019m OK\u201d part of the tale. <\/p>\n\n

The \u201cThey\u2019re Not\u201d part is more complicated and, if anything, more confusing in its implications for internet governance. <\/p>\n\n

The most striking part of the paradox of Americans\u2019 views of the internet came in a battery of questions we asked about its impact on politics after last year\u2019s midterm election.<\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 61% of online adults agree with the statement that the internet exposes people to a wider range of political views than they can get in the traditional news media. Young adults and political social networkers are more likely than average to view the internet as a source of information they can\u2019t find elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 56% of internet users say that it is usually difficult for them to tell what is true from what is not true when it comes to the political information they find online \u2013 and they suspect it is considerably harder for others to sort this out. <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 54% of online adults say that the internet makes it easier to connect with others who share their views politically: 44% say that the internet makes this \u201ca lot easier\u201d and 10% say that the internet makes this \u201ca little easier.\u201d The internet users who get news or take part in politically-related activities on social networking sites are especially likely to say that the internet helps them connect with others around political issues. <\/p>\n\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At the same time, 55% of all internet users feel that the internet increases the influence of those with extreme political views, compared with 30% who say that the internet reduces the influence of those with extreme views by giving ordinary citizens a chance to be heard.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s a complex set of judgments in which users are mostly inclined to trust their own capacities to handle challenges, but are quite wary of others\u2019 abilities to navigate the challenges well. <\/p>\n\n

Where, then, do Americans want governance structures to tilt? Our findings and other research indicate that Americans generally support structures that will give them the best of the \u201cI\u2019m OK\u201d world and protects them from the worst harms of the \u201cThey\u2019re Not\u201d environment. \u00a0These yearnings map very closely with the policy ideas enunciated by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton last winter.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

They want both liberty and security: That is, a structure that would allow them to seek, share, and create the media and information they want with the minimum possible risk that bad actors can invade their lives. <\/p>\n\n

They want both transparency and confidentiality: That is, the capacity to examine the backgrounds and activities of individuals and institutions who have some potential claim on their lives, as well as the capacity to have the most intimate communication and information about them shielded from prying eyes and ears. <\/p>\n\n

They want free expression protected while fostering a climate of tolerance and civility: That is, they appreciate the value of more voices and more ideas being put in play, but they would like that done in a way where hate and harmful, wrong information are not given extra play and greater power in the marketplace of ideas.<\/p>\n\n

Sound familiar? Those of you of a certain age\u00a0might pick up the philosophy of Queen:<\/p>\n\n

I want it all. I want it all. I want it all. And I want it now. <\/p>\n\n

When it comes to the scenarios under discussion today, I can only offer suggestions based on circumstantial evidence in surveys and other forums:<\/p>\n\n

On the prediction about the coming regionalization of the internet<\/a>, at the level of instinct and principles, Americans indicate they would like the free-est possible internet with the lowest number of problems. They value freedom of speech and would likely be wary of changes that would limit speech.<\/p>\n\n

On speculation that youth will \u201crise and reign\u201d over the internet<\/a>, Americans probably don\u2019t have firm views. But they generally are amazed at the rise of \u201cdigital natives\u201d in their own country and they are proud that the American government helped create the internet and then gave it away.<\/p>\n\n

On the \u201cgovernment prevails\u201d scenario<\/a>, Americans have longstanding cultural suspicion of government, so they would express worry if that question were asked directly. However, we\u2019ve seen in our research over the years that when specific threats are mentioned, when it comes to protecting vulnerable populations, when problems enter the picture, Americans hope that their government is watching them and protecting them from problems. So, it\u2019s a muddy picture. <\/p>\n\n

Your job today and in Nairobi is a minor one. You just have to sort through all these conflicting clues and conflicting points of view and then make the best scenarios happen. <\/p>\n\n

Good luck!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lee Rainie gave a keynote address that looked at people’s evolving use of the internet and mobile technologies and their attitudes about the role of the internet in their lives and the wider world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[298,308,279,305,110],"tags":[2291,2252],"bylines":[913],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[465],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[526],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-95228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-future-of-the-internet","category-mobile","category-online-privacy-security","category-platforms-services","category-privacy-rights","tag-future-of-the-internet","tag-social-networking","bylines-lee-rainie","formats-presentation","research-teams-internet"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1899,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2011\/07\/18\/im-ok-theyre-not-trying-to-unravel-what-internet-users-want-when-it-comes-to-governing-the-internet\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"I\u2019m OK, They\u2019re Not: Trying to unravel what internet users want when it comes to governing the internet","parent_id":95228},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"I\u2019m OK, They\u2019re Not: Trying to unravel what internet users want when it comes to governing the internet","description":"Lee Rainie gave a keynote address that looked at people's evolving use of the internet and mobile technologies and their attitudes about the role of the internet in their lives and the wider world.","og_title":"I\u2019m OK, They\u2019re Not: Trying to unravel what internet users want when it comes to governing the internet","og_description":"Lee Rainie gave a keynote address that looked at people's evolving use of the internet and mobile technologies and their attitudes about the role of the internet in their lives and the wider world.","schema_type":"Article","noindex":false,"canonical_url":"","primary_terms":[],"custom_schema":[],"og_image":0,"indexnow_submitted_at":null,"gsc_index_status":null},"prepublish_checks":{"prc-image-alt-text":{"status":"complete","message":"No image blocks in content.","data":null},"prc-about-this-research":{"status":"incomplete","message":"Add an \"About this research\" details block.","data":null},"prc-paragraph-count":{"status":"complete","message":"Found 53 paragraphs.","data":{"count":53}},"prc-internal-link":{"status":"complete","message":"Found 3 internal links.","data":{"count":3}}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"relatedPostsOrdered":[],"bylinesOrdered":[{"key":"02c5c8c0b9eddb1c766e4868108bc73f","termId":913}],"acknowledgementsOrdered":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136815,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95228\/revisions\/136815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"bylines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bylines?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"datasets","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/datasets?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"level_of_effort","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/level_of_effort?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"primary_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary_audience?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"information_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/information_type?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"_post_visibility","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post_visibility?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"_fund_pool","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_fund_pool?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"languages","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/languages?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"regions-countries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions-countries?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"research-teams","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-teams?post=95228"},{"taxonomy":"workflow-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/workflow-status?post=95228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}